PeloPonneseACHAïAPeloPonneseSIGHTSPeloPonneseKALAVrYTA1 Sights
oMuseum of the Kalavryta
Holocaust MuSEuM
(%26920 23646; http://www.dmko.gr; 1-5 Syngrou; ad-
mission €3; h9am-4pm Tue-Sun) The country’s
only Holocaust museum, this is a powerful
tribute to the residents of Kalavryta who
perished in the 13 December 1943 slaughter
perpetrated by the Nazis. It’s a dignified, un-
derstated, yet extremely evocative account
of the struggle between the occupying forces
and partisan fighters in the area, and the
events running up to the massacre – an
atrocity reported to be partly put in motion
by the partisans’ execution of a group of Ger-
man prisoners.
Set inside the rebuilt old schoolhouse
that was set on fire with women, children
and the elderly inside, the museum depicts
the history of 19th- and 20th-century Ka-
lavryta, the advent of the rack-and-pinion
railway and the region’s suffering during
WWII through evocative photographs and
personal effects.
ELAS, the Greek resistance movement,
was very active in the Kalavryta region dur-
ing WWII. On 17 October 1943 partisans
captured a German batallion. Negotiations
stalled when the Nazis launched ‘Operation
Kalavryta’, designed to crush the resistance.
The partisans killed the German prisoners
and in retaliation, on 13 December 1943, the
Nazis herded 468 men and boys over the
age of thirteen to the nearby Kappi Ridge
and gunned them down. The women and
children who managed to break out of the
burning schoolhouse were left with the
task of gathering and burying the dead, as
commemorated by the statues behind the
schoolhouse.
Whatever you do, don’t pass by the videos
on continuous loop dotted throughout the
exhibition. These are the accounts of surviv-
ing townspeople who escaped death, some
of whom were children at the time. The
walls covered with pictures of the dead Kal-
avryta villagers and the names of the dead is
an especially stark memorial.
Martyrs’ Monument MONuMENT
A huge white cross on a cypress-covered hill-
side just east of town marks the site where
the Nazis machine-gunned 486 men and boys
from Kalavryta on 13 December 1943. Only 13
survived the massacre. Beneath this impos-
ing monument is a poignant little shrine to
the victims. It’s signposted off Konstantinou.
4 Sleeping
Lodges are dotted outside Kalavryta; the
town itself has a few hotel options. Peak
period is the ski season (from December to
April), at which time reservations are es-
sential. Weekend bookings are a good idea
year-round. Prices are slashed on weekdays.
If you roll into town without a reservation,
look inside the shelter in front of the train
station; all the accommodation options are
listed, and those with vacancies are lit up
green, Austrian-style. Also check http://www.kala
vrita-hotels.gr, which has some good options.
The cheapest accommodation is in the do-
matia on the streets behind the train station.Hotel Filoxenia HOTEL €
(%26920 22422; http://www.hotelfiloxenia.gr; Ethnikis
Andistasis 10; d/tr incl breakfast €53/65; paW)
Kind of like an old-fashioned ski lodge with
its handsome stone exterior, Filoxenia has
somewhat dowdy rooms with balconies (and
jacuzzi tubs). Rates include either a sauna,
hammam or hydromassage session per day.Tsovolos Apartments APArTMENT €
(%26920 22292; Kosta fassou 14; d/tr/apt incl
breakfast €30/45/55; W) Towards the west
end of town, near the EKO petrol station,
these warm, snug rooms and two-bedroom
apartments are basic but offer good value.
There are shared tea-making facilities but
breakfast is unlikely to thrill you.oArchontiko Zafeiropoulou APArTMENT €€
(%26920 24500; http://www.archontiko.gr; Striftompala;
d/ste incl breakfast €90/130; pW) These doubles
and suites are essentially spacious, spotless
studio apartments with kitchenettes. The real
treasure here is the friendly South African–
Greek owner, George, who has an outstand-
ing knowledge of the town and surroundingKALAVRYTA CITYPASSFor bargain sightseeing in and around
Kalavryta, the Kalavryta CityPass
(www.trainose.gr) discount card covers
a return trip on the Diakofto–Kalavryta
railway and entrance to the Cave of the
Lakes, the Kalavryta Holocaust Muse-
um, and either Kalavryta Ski Centre
or the Tetramythos Winery, saving you
40% overall. The card costs €24.80, is
valid for a month and can be purchased
at Kalavryta, Diakofto or Patra train
stations.